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T. B. KEATING, L. w. CLARKE &-w. W. GELATT Compressed-AirWater-Elevator.

No. 223,925. Patented Jan. 27, 1 88 0.

NJEIERS, PHOTD-LIYNOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D, C,

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

THOMAS E. KEATING AND LAFE W. CLARKE, OF SHERMAN, TEXAS, AND WALLACE W.GELATT, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

COMPRESSED-AIR WATER-ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 223,925, dated January2 7, 1880.

Applicafion filed October 15, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, THOMAS B. KEALING andLAFE W. CLARKE, both of Sherman, in the county of Grayson and State ofTexas, and

5 WALLACE W. GELATT, of the city of \Vashington, in the District ofColumbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCompressed-Air Tater-Elevators and we do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had. to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part ofthis specification,

and which represents a sectional side elevation of our apparatus.

This invention relates to compressed-air elevators for raising waterfrom wells, cisterns, or similar reservoirs; and it consists in theimprovements hereinafter fully described, and

particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawing, B represents themain, and B the supplemental, tank ofour apparatus, each of which has a bottom valve, (denoted by "2 5 G andG, respectively,) both tanks being immersed into the Well or cistern A.Tank B is provided with an air-pipe, O, and dischargepipe E, which mayhave any suitably-constructed outlet or, nozzle, and is provided, a

short distance below its outlet, with an airchamber, H. The supplementaltankB is in like manner provided with an air-pipe, c, and discharge-pipee, pipe 0 opening up into the air-pipe O of tank B, and pipe 0connecting 3 5 with pipe E. Above the well or cistern is an air-pump, Gwhich may be operated by hand or by any suitable and convenient power.

f is a valve, which is arranged within a chamber or enlargement at thepoint where pipes e E 40 connect, and has its seat upon the mouth ofpipe 0, and g is a similar valve, which has its seat upon pipe E; butinstead of these two valves f g a single vibrating valve may beemployed, which will close alternately the months 5 of pipes e and E.The main air-pipe O has a stop-cock, '5, which is provided with aventhole, i,"and its branch pipe c has asimilar stop-cock, h, having avent-hole, h. The stopcocks i h are provided each with an arm, I K,which are operated by fingers L L U, projecting'laterally from avertical rod, d, which is inserted through a st ufiing-box in the top oftank B in such a manner as to enable it to slide up and down easily andwith a minimum of friction. At the end of rod 61 is a float, D, (bypreference a hollow ball of galvanized sheet-irom) which floats upon thesurface of the water in tank B and controls the position of rod (1..

The operation of this apparatus is as follows: Tanks B and B having bothbeen filled with water through their valves G G while theapparatus is atrest, the float D, with its connecting-rod 0?, will be in the top of itstank B, in which position the arms or tappets L L L will, on theirupward passage, have opened the stop-cock i, but closed the stop-cock h.lVater being wanted, the air-pump O at the top of the well is set towork, which forces air down through pipe 0 into tank B, thus closingvalves G and f, and causing the water to rise in pipeE and openingitsvalve g. As the water rises the airin chamberHis compressed, andpresently a steady flow will commence at the spout or nozzle of thedischarge-pipe. As the water in tank B, from which the supply is drawn,is gradually exhausted, the floatD will sink, which lowers rod cl until,when the float is near the bottom, the tappets L L will strike the armsI K, respectively, and thereby shut the stop-cock 'i of the air-pipe O,atthe same time opening its vent-hole t, and open the stopcock h of pipe0, closing its vent-hole h. The air now passes from the pump and uppersection of pipe 0, through its branch pipe 0, down into the supplementaltank B, the compressed air in tank B escaping through the vent i, so

' as to enable it to fill with water again through valve G. WhilejankBisrefilling and its float D, with rod d, gradually rising, the water intank B escapes through pipe 6 up into the upper section of pipe E andchamber H, so that the'flow of water continues uninterrupted and in onesteady stream as long as pump (3? is operated or compressed air suppliedto the mouth of pipe 0 by any other suitable means. Mean- 5 while thewater in tank B is gradually exhausted, and by the time it is almostempty water will haverisen in tank B to such a height that the floatwill again be near its top, when the stop-cock It will be closed andiopened by I00 the arms or tappets L L of rod d, on its upward passage,closing the vent-hole i, but opening It for the escape of the compressedair from tank B, which is thus enabled to refill with Water through itsbottom valve, G, while an uninterrupted supply is being drawn again fromthe main tank B; and so on the supply is drawn alternately from tanks Band B in one stead y stream, Without spurts, so long as the demand forwater exists.

It is obvious that the tanks may be located at any distance below theground, inasmuch as the extent or height to which the column of watermay be raised does not depend upon the natural atmospheric pressure, butupon an artificial air-pressure to which there is practically no limit.As soon as the apparatus has ceased working, the water in the pipes willrun back into their respective tanks, so that thereis-no danger offrrezin g either of the pipes or of the tanks, which, as has beenalready stated, may be immersed at a sufficient depth to be out of thereach of frost.

We are aware that twin tanks operating alternately have been used beforein this class of apparatus in connection with a system of airpipes thestop-cocks of which are operated automatically by a float in one of thetanks; nor do we claim such construction and arrangement, broadly; but

What we claim as our improvement, and de sire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States, is

In a pneumatic pump or apparatus for raisin g water by compressed air,the combination, with the twin tanks B B and their respective air-pipesU c and discharge-pipes E 6, constructed and arranged as described andprovided with stop-cocks i h, having vents i h and operating-arms I K,of the float-rod 01, provided with laterally projecting parallel arms ortappets L L L, for operating said arms 1 K of the air stop-cocks orvalves 1' h, substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinshown and set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaffixed our signatures in presence of witnesses.

THOMAS B. KEATING. LAFE W. CLARKE. WALLACE W. GELATT.

Witnesses to the signatures of Keating and Clarke:

A. F. WRIGHT, L. W. WILLIAMS.

- Witnesses to the signature of Gelatt:

GEO. F. GRAHAM, JOSEPH T. PowER.

